Journal 2008 - The Journal Royal Highland Fusiliers - The Royal ...

commitment and loyalty. His exceptional qualities led to himbeing commissioned into the Regiment that he loved and intowhich he had devoted so much of his time and energy.Lieutenant Colonel Simon Downey MBE, Commanding Officer2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, said:Captain John McDermid was an exceptional soldier, officerand man. Deeply able, hugely energetic, and an accomplishedcompassionate and encouraging leader, he rose rapidly throughthe ranks from private soldier to captain, excelling at every stage.Captain McDermid leaves behind his wife Gill, his two sons anda stepson.WO2 BRUCE BRADFORD CAMERONIANS/RHFI was very saddened to hear of thesudden death of Brad Bradford. Areal Regimental Character if everthere was one. Stories of Brad arelegendary and most of them, nomatter how you embellish them,turn out to true. There are someevents that happened where Bradwas concerned that you wonder“How did he get away with that?”and others where you just shookyour head in amazement.Brad joined the Battalion at FortGeorge in 1969 on the disbandment of the Cameronians. Hejoined A Coy and the rest of his career with the Regiment wasnever dull. From the start it was clear to see he had exceptionalability. A first-class soldier, he left his mark on every rank andappointment he held in the Regiment. Brad always wanted to bea soldier and when he left school, if soldiering had not about hewould have invented it.Brad acted a lot on impulse and at times this could lead him intotrouble – not only ‘at times’; it invariably did. Never once in hisarmy career did you hear Brad say, “It was not my fault” or “Just badluck at the time I did it.” What you would hear Brad say was, “ Itseemed like a good idea at the time.” Brad accepted everything thathappened as part and parcel of his life. If he fell foul of authority heaccepted it, put it behind him and got on with his life and soldieringThere was never any attempt to shift the blame to others or to hideaway from facing the consequences.But his impulse and instinct was also very important during thenumerous tours of Northern Ireland in the 70s and 80s. His instinctof spotting when something was not right, whether it was patrollingthrough the fields of South Armagh or urban patrolling in TurfLodge or Andersontown, bordered on the uncanny. His soldieringability was never in doubt. In the field he was an exceptional soldierand a real credit to the Regiment. However, the RHF have alwayshad a reputation for being better at living in holes in the ground inthe field, rather than in nice squared-off barrack blocks. When Bradwas CSM of C Company in Germany, his attitude to any Jock causingdamage to the barrack block was, “If you do not want to appreciateliving in camp, you can live in the field.”A barbed-wire compound was set up outside one of C Coy’s barrackblocks and any Jock convicted of breaking windows, damaging doorsetc was sentenced to live in the compound in a tent and only allowedinto the barrack block to shower and shave once a day. Brad was anexceptional man and once you met him, you never forgot him – as nodoubt some of the compound inhabitants will remember.However, there is one side of Brad that may have been missed bythose who knew him. Brad was a very accomplished sailor. In 1972Brad and I were stationed at Glencorse as training instructors. RabDallas was also there as a Platoon Commander and, as Rab was anexceptional skipper (Junior UK champion at 16), he decided that anRHF team should go and take part in Clyde Week, the week-longsailing regatta held on the river Clyde.The team consisted of the three of us and we stayed at Clynder forthe 10 days and were competing in a Piper Class racing yacht. It wasan excellent week and on one occasion as we were sailing along thestart line waiting to begin, the yacht slowed down. Something hadattached to the keel and the boat became almost stationary in thewater. Rab shouted to Brad if he could see what was holding the boatback. “Nae problem,” said Brad and promptly disappeared over theside. This is in the middle of the Clyde, a force six roaring and threemiles from land.Then came a cry, “Haud this!” (Brad was taking off his life jacket andthrowing it up to land on deck.) He then disappeared under the boat,removed the obstruction and resurfaced. The boat had shot forwardand Brad very coolly (coldly!) swan to one of the marker buoys inthe Clyde, climbed on and waited for us to come about and pick himup. The Royal Navy guard launch was very quickly on the scene andhove alongside to pick Brad up. If he had stepped on to the Navylaunch we would have been disqualified and he refused all offers ofhelp until we picked him up. It was the talk of the regatta for the restof the week. There was one other occasion when Rab, in trying tocatch the run of the tide to gain an advantage, got too close to shoreand ran aground. This time both of us were over the side pushinglike mad to dislodge the boat. This also had been seen and Rab wasasked where he got his crew from – especially the big black-hairedone that goes swimming for fun fully-clothed in the Clyde.Brad commanded loyalty in his men from his first appointment asa Lance Corporal to his last appointment as a Company SergeantMajor. I knew Brad for 39 years and I can honestly say there wasnever a moment when you could predict what Brad was going todo next. However, the same moments were never dull. He leavesa gap in the Regiment, especially in the Sgts’ Mess. Even afterhe left the Army Brad believed that the Sgts’ Mess was the mostexclusive club in the world. He took great delight in being invitedback and no matter where the Battalion was stationed he wouldmake the effort to attend. Even although his first regiment wasthe Cameronians, he had unswerving loyalty to the RHF.One of the last times I attended a Sgts’ Mess function with Brad wasthe Burns Supper at Cambridge in 1991. He stood in the centre of thefloor of the Sgts’ Mess anteroom and said “I am home. As far as I amconcerned this is the centre of the universe.” Of course, trying to gethim to go to his real home was when the fun would start.There are many more stories of Brad and I am quite sure we allhave our favourite memory of being in Brad’s company – bothsocially and as a soldier. What you saw was what you got. He lived18 THE ROYAL HIGHLAND FUSILIERS